Matt McCracken
Matt is a Junior Deals Writer here at MusicRadar. He regularly tests and reviews music gear with a focus on audio interfaces, studio headphones, studio monitors, and pretty much anything else home recording-related. Responsible for over 60 buying guides, a large part of his role is helping musicians find the best deals on gear. Matt worked in music retail for 5 years at Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars and has written for various music sites including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Guitar.com, Ultimate Guitar, and Thomann’s t.blog.
A regularly gigging guitarist with over 20 years of experience playing live and producing bands, he's performed everything from jazz to djent, gigging all over the UK in more dingy venues than you can shake a drop-tuned guitar at. When he's not holed up in his home studio recording new songs you'll find him in at Spirit Studios where he's currently studying Sound Engineering and Music Production.
Latest articles by Matt McCracken

Best studio monitors 2025: Studio speakers for musicians and producers on any budget
By Andy Jones last updated
My comprehensive guide to the best studio monitor speakers for home studio recording, whether you’re a beginner or pro producer

Best guitar audio interfaces 2025: Record killer guitar parts at home with our top picks
By Chris Bird last updated
The best audio interfaces for guitar from IK Multimedia, Focusrite, UAD and more

Best external hard drives for music production 2025: Back up your music and boost your computer's performance
By Chris Corfield last updated
Store recording sessions, video files, and sample libraries with our expert pick of the best external hard drives for Mac and PC

It's your last chance to save an extra £10 when you spend over £100 in the massive Flash Sale at PMT with this exclusive deal for MusicRadar readers
By Matt McCracken last updated
We’ve unlocked an extra £10 off brands including Fender, PRS and Korg - but you’ll need to claim it before the day's over. Here's my top picks from the sale

Best budget audio interfaces 2025: Cheap USB interfaces for home recording, streaming, podcasting, and more
By Matt McCracken last updated
I’ve tested more than 20 options to bring you my expert pick of the best affordable audio interfaces for great quality recording on a budget

Best chorus pedals 2025: Our pick of the top chorus pedals
By Alex Lynham last updated
Chorus is back! Find out why with our top-rated chorus pedals you need to try today

“A frankly ludicrous pedal that stakes itself as the ultimate octave funhouse”: Electro-Harmonix POG 3 review
By Matt McCracken published
EHX’s incredibly fun reincarnation of the POG aims to let you get weird with your tones, but does it justify that gigantic asking price?

Transform your voice in just 12 months - score a year’s worth of vocal lessons for just $99 with 30 Day Singer
By Matt McCracken published
Plus if you don’t want to commit, we’ve also got an exclusive 1 month for $1 deal for MusicRadar readers

Best budget studio monitors 2025: Make your mix sing with these wallet-friendly home studio speakers
By Chris Corfield last updated
The best cheap studio monitors for home recording, with my hand-picked and affordable options from Adam, IK Multimedia, M-Audio, PreSonus and more

Best guitar wireless systems 2025: Cut the cord and liberate your playing today
By Michael Astley-Brown last updated
Invest in a transmitter/receiver and ditch trailing cables with our pick of the best wireless guitar systems from beginner to pro

Best Stratocasters 2025: Top Strat picks from Fender and Squier
By Ed Mitchell last updated
Our experts countdown the best Strat guitars - from budget to pro - that showcase arguably the most iconic guitar of all time

Best audio interface 2025: For home recording, podcasting, and streaming - tested by experts
By Matt McCracken last updated
Our tried and tested pick of USB and Thunderbolt interfaces for Mac and PC across every budget, plus full reviews, in-depth testing, and buying advice

Best synthesizers 2025: Top analogue, digital, mono and polysynths
By Andy Jones last updated
From mini monosynths, through to mighty polyphonic workstations, our experts have hand-picked hardware synth recommendations for every budget

Best cheap MIDI keyboards 2025: Inexpensive MIDI controllers starting at just £39/$49
By Chris Corfield last updated
Start making music for less with our selection of affordable MIDI keyboards from Arturia, Akai, Nektar, Novation, and more

“Even a complete beginner could get the 18i20 set up and start making multi-mic recordings”: Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen review
By Matt McCracken published
We put the latest iteration of Focusrite’s 8-channel interface to the test

Best budget USB microphones 2025: Get creative and sound better for less
By Chris Corfield last updated
Our expert pick of the top cheap USB mics for streaming, podcasting, recording, gaming, work calls, and more

“A brilliant piece of kit that’s more than a match for the demands of the modern producer/engineer”: Universal Audio Apollo x4 Gen 2 review
By Matt McCracken last updated
The next generation of Universal Audio Apollo is here, and we got hands-on ahead of launch to put it through its paces

Best pedal amps 2025: Get the sound, feel and response of an amp, all on your pedalboard
By Richard Blenkinsop last updated
Downsize your rig with the best amps-in-a-box to suit all styles of music

Best studio desks 2025: budget-spanning options for organising your recording studio space
By Chris Corfield last updated
Streamline your production setup and bring order to your creative space with one of the best desks for music production

8 tips to improve your mixes in 2025 that won't cost you anything
By Matt McCracken published
Get ahead on your mixing game in 2025 with these spend-free tips from a master mixing engineer and producer

With up to 92% off plugins and software, Plugin Boutique just gave you the best excuse to upgrade your productions
By Matt McCracken published
Cure your post-NAMM blues with a huge selection of discounted plugins from just $/£5

What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
By Jonathan Horsley last updated
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player

Best acoustic guitar for beginners 2025: Strum your first chords with our choice of beginner acoustic guitars
By Chris Corfield last updated
Start playing today with beginner acoustics from Taylor, Fender, Epiphone, Martin and more – hand-picked by experts
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